Academic Interests

Extracurricular Activities

What is your most meaningful extracurricular activity? Why?

My most meaningful extracurricular is rowing. It’s an incredibly difficult sport, but also really rewarding, both in terms of the successes I’ve had racing, and in the relationships I’ve developed with my teammates. The feeling you get from crossing the finish line and looking back at your competition is totally unique, and it’s not a coincidence that most of my best friends at school also row.

What is your favorite University of Rochester memory?

Every Halloween, Rush Rhees Library is transformed for the annual Scare Fair. It’s an excuse for the librarians to dress up and give out candy, but it’s also one of the only times when the bell tower is open to the public. Students go on a scavenger hunt for books in the stacks, and once you finish, the librarians bring you all the way up the tower, which has an incredible view not just of campus, but all of Rochester and it’s surroundings, all the way to the lake. My friend and I happened to be the first ones to finish this year, and even though the librarians claim it wasn’t a contest, we were the first ones up there, and got our picture on the library’s Twitter, so I’m pretty sure we won.

What unique opportunities have you taken advantage of at Rochester?

The open curriculum is an amazing opportunity. It lets every student entirely create their own curriculum. I haven’t had to take a single class that I wasn’t truly interested in, and I’ve had a much better time here because of that. You have the freedom to spend two and a half years figuring out exactly what it is you want to do while taking courses in every possible concentration, or to only take classes in the concentration you have your heart set on starting first semester freshman year. I’m majoring in economics, political science, math, and English, but it isn’t because I’m particularly hard-working, it’s because I can spend all my time in the classes I want to be in.

What did you do last Saturday night?

I was recovering from a weekend filled with races after the annual Dad Vail regatta on the Schulkyll River in Philadelphia. I was on a bus for about six hours, but it was our last race of the season, so when we got back, we had a send-off party that involved a lot of really tired people trying not to show how tired they were. It was a lot of fun.

What is your favorite off-campus event and why?

I love all the music that goes on in Rochester. There are tons of free concerts over the summer for the Party in the Park series, and during the year a huge variety of shows at the Bug Jar, the Eastman Theatre, the Water Street Music Hall, and tons of other venues.

How would you describe the “typical Rochester student?”

I wouldn’t describe any Rochester student as “typical”, so this isn’t really a fair question. The one thing I will say is that every Rochester student has something their passionate about, whether inside the classroom or our, and that’s an amazing environment to be a part of.